3/31/13
As I lie awake on the relatively comfortable bed/chair next to Laura as she sleeps, I'm beginning to wonder...
Have I done everything I could over the past 9 months and 29 days to help Laura prepare for the next 24 hours?
Will our baby girl be born with her moms cute little nose?
Will she be a daddy's girl? Will she want to go hunting and 4 wheeling with me?
Will she love watching the Wild and Twins play as much as we do?
Will Lexi love our new addition to the family and will she understand why our attention we give her changes, and will she love baby just as much as we've loved her since we adopted her?
Will the boys coming knocking at our door too soon? (If they do, will she understand why I choose to clean my guns at the kitchen table just as they show up?!)
Will she invite me to a father-daughter dance some day?
Will she find a husband that I could love as my own child?
Will the patosin (spelling) speed up her arrival as planned?
Will I be able to give Laura everything she needs during delivery? And as a mom?
Will I be a good enough dad to give her everything she'll ever need from me?
Will she have Laura's eyes?
Will she have my crazy personality?
Will she become a successful business woman?
Will she wonder why Grandma Barb's house is called Siberia?
Will she wonder why her mom makes
weird faces at Grandpa Russ while he's preaching? (And will she join in?!)
Will she be the popular girl at school with lots of friends, or will she be the shy one?
And so, with the list of questions that have passed through my mind while trying to sleep, this marks the beginning of the next chapter of my Daddy Diary.
And finally, a note to my baby girl...I'm looking forward to meeting you in a few hours!!! You have no idea how long I've waited for this day to come, though I will say its been much longer than 9 months and 29 days!! I already love you so much, and I know that will change exponentially by the time your are in my arms for the first time!!! Good night, my baby girl!!! I'll see you tomorrow!!!
For everyone else, thanks for reading my Daddy Diary! We appreciate your kind thoughts and/or prayers on this last night, albeit a sleepless one, before our baby arrives. Take care!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Checked in...for the second time today!
3/31/13
We are now in our hospital room and ready to have our baby!!! I hope you enjoy reading this last entry of my Daddy Diary before I actually become a daddy...in the near future!!! My next entry will mark the start of a new chapter in our lives and in this blog!
On our way in to church this morning, Laura slipped on some ice and fell to her knee. After sitting in church for an hour, she was stiffening up and had trouble getting in to the car. After brunch, she was more sore. We went home and tried taking naps, but she couldn't lie on the floor without a lot of pain in her lower back and pelvis so I called into the birth center. They told us to come in for a check to see if everything was alright with baby. They hooked Laura up to some monitoring for the baby, and after an hour they said she was good to go home because there was no contractions and the baby looked great.
So we left and headed to Granny's to catches the tail end of Easter dinner with everyone. After a short visit we headed for home. I took Lexi for a walk and fed her while Laura headed for the couch and I headed out side to scoop up a front yard full of dog crap.
About 20 minutes into my favorite hobby, Laura opened the window and asked me to come in, "sweetie, I think my water broke!" She said in a whisper out the window. After the first sentence of her explaining what happened, I knew that it broke, but she still wasn't convinced. I called the birth center again. They remembered me and told us to come in.
We got into the same room with the same nurse and got hooked up again. After a couple minutes on the monitor, the nurse said "oh, you're contracting!" But Laura couldn't feel it. She did a quick test to confirm the water had broken. A few minutes after that, our doctor stopped in (she happened to be in due to working with another patient down the hall). After an uncomfortable exam with the doc, we were assured all is well. We were given the choice to begin inducing right away or to hang out for a couple hours to see what happened. We opted for waiting, so we took a short walk and are now hanging out in our room waiting for our great nurse, Monica, to come back in and hook Laura's belly back up to the monitor. Until we have some exciting news
To report, this is the final entry for the Lemke's, party of 2!!! We greatly appreciate your best thoughts, wishes and/or prayers as we start the next chapter of our lives together tonight!!! Thanks for reading my Daddy Diary and take care!
We are now in our hospital room and ready to have our baby!!! I hope you enjoy reading this last entry of my Daddy Diary before I actually become a daddy...in the near future!!! My next entry will mark the start of a new chapter in our lives and in this blog!
On our way in to church this morning, Laura slipped on some ice and fell to her knee. After sitting in church for an hour, she was stiffening up and had trouble getting in to the car. After brunch, she was more sore. We went home and tried taking naps, but she couldn't lie on the floor without a lot of pain in her lower back and pelvis so I called into the birth center. They told us to come in for a check to see if everything was alright with baby. They hooked Laura up to some monitoring for the baby, and after an hour they said she was good to go home because there was no contractions and the baby looked great.
So we left and headed to Granny's to catches the tail end of Easter dinner with everyone. After a short visit we headed for home. I took Lexi for a walk and fed her while Laura headed for the couch and I headed out side to scoop up a front yard full of dog crap.
About 20 minutes into my favorite hobby, Laura opened the window and asked me to come in, "sweetie, I think my water broke!" She said in a whisper out the window. After the first sentence of her explaining what happened, I knew that it broke, but she still wasn't convinced. I called the birth center again. They remembered me and told us to come in.
We got into the same room with the same nurse and got hooked up again. After a couple minutes on the monitor, the nurse said "oh, you're contracting!" But Laura couldn't feel it. She did a quick test to confirm the water had broken. A few minutes after that, our doctor stopped in (she happened to be in due to working with another patient down the hall). After an uncomfortable exam with the doc, we were assured all is well. We were given the choice to begin inducing right away or to hang out for a couple hours to see what happened. We opted for waiting, so we took a short walk and are now hanging out in our room waiting for our great nurse, Monica, to come back in and hook Laura's belly back up to the monitor. Until we have some exciting news
To report, this is the final entry for the Lemke's, party of 2!!! We greatly appreciate your best thoughts, wishes and/or prayers as we start the next chapter of our lives together tonight!!! Thanks for reading my Daddy Diary and take care!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Marriage Perspective
3/27/13
Apparently I missed the memo over the past 2 days that I need to change my Facebook picture to a symbol that represents equality and the right for gay people to marry each other?!?!
I'll throw my argument out in the open right away...read on if you'd like, if not, then don't judge my point of view because it's different than yours: I support equality and rights for gays, but I also support traditional marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In fact, I'd also like to discuss this topic with you in person because I'd like to better understand your point of view. However, if you are now irate with my thoughts (but hopefully not me as a person) then I fear we can't discuss this topic because it would turn into an argument. I'm willing to listen to you, if you're willing to listen to me. Actually, let's have a beer over it?!?!
This story has been brewing in this country over the past few years, and I think it is a ridiculous thing to make such a huge fuss over because people are missing the simplicity of the argument. Gays have every right as straight people in this country, however, certain states do not recognize their unions as "marriage." I feel gay people have every right to do anything straight people should, but marriage should not be one of them because that is not the definition of marriage. Even Supreme Court justices are starting to toss out ideas that are becoming ludicrous in my mind. Is the sole purpose of marriage to procreate and produce life?! Maybe, maybe not. I know plenty of straight couples who have chosen not to have children because it's their choice. And yes, I still considered them to be married couples, just as I would if 80 year olds choose to remarry after their spouses die. Will they procreate? Nope...but they certainly are married and we should recognize that as a marriage because it is one man and one woman. Should we limit marriages? Yes...to a man and a woman because that's what marriage is by definition. If you want to argue about words and definitions, take it up with Webster. Hell, invent a new word to recognize this relationship between gays, but please don't call it marriage. I don't feel superior to gays because I'm married and they're not, nor should they feel inferior to me because their relationship isn't recognized as a marriage. Because my view is different from this idea that everyone has suddenly been enlightened to, I now feel as an outcast in society, and even feel that if I were to voice my counter opinion on Facebook in a less aggressive way than some supporters, I feel my job could be at jeopardy...not to mention that I'd open myself to hateful insults.
If gays are suffering prejudice in the work place or other laws, they should not because they are human and they are entitled to the same God-given rights that everyone else is. But marriage is not a right, and it is certainly not written in the Constitution. In fact, marriage is not even listed in the Constitution. Certain parts of our society, in fact, large groups of people feel they need to re-write or even throw out the Constitutition whenever it differs from their point of view. To that, I say BS! I find it humorous that we have so many Constitutional scholars that come out of the woodwork when the country debates big issues. Heck, the Constitution explicitly states that I have a right to own and "bear" my gun, but the majority of those in support of gay marriage would argue otherwise by saying that the founders didn't mean what they wrote over 240 years ago!!!
What people are missing, is that marriage is not a right...it's a privelidge...so please don't try to change that. Gays are not being discriminated against by the majority of those that say they should not be married, people are simply stating that marriage is a man and woman thing. To say marriage is a right opens up a can of worms that we don't know about yet...perhaps your high school child will come home from school some day saying they want to be married to their boyfriend/girlfriend and that they have the right to do so!!!! What is the argument to that?! That your child is not of age?! Or they're too young? Well, if they have all the rights that everyone else in the country has, age shouldn't be a factor, and we don't want to put limits on marriage... right?!?!
I'm also irritated by the number of pictures showing up on Facebook depicting racists mobs from generations ago and their signs/posters/banners they are holding which have hateful words on them. Of course, the caption of the picture asks, "Which side of history will you be on in 40 years?" or "Won't you feel stupid 40 years from now?" My response is simple: Those pictures show hateful people resenting a group of people. To this date, I have yet to see a single sign in protest of the gay marriage issue that uses an offensive words against gays or lesbians. I find it insulting that my viewpoint is being compared to racist viewpoints from the past when I have nothing in common with those people or their hurtful words. Of course, there are some who oppose gay marriage who think about gays in offensive ways, but they are not the majority of us who feel this way, so please don't associate the majority with the minority. People would take offense if I tried to label all gay people as people who spread AIDS (this, of course, is a historical argument from generations ago), so please don't try to sway others to your beliefs with powerful words/images.
My problem with this whole issue is the word "marriage." Gays should have every opportunity to have a legally recognized relationship and the "perks" that go along with it, just like I have with my wife. They should be entitled to sharing insurance, death benefits and any other perk that I can have from my marital status, but please don't call it marriage. Most importantly, please don't demonize myself or any other person that holds this view that is in disagreement with yours. I'm not a hater, homophobe or any other words I hear thrown around in the media and in social networks today. In fact, for my entire adult life, I have worked with numerous gay people, and I like and respect all of them for who they are. Heck, I have gay people in my family...and I still love them for who they are. I have no problem with homosexuality, but I do have a problem with attempts to redefine a term that has been around for dozens of generations. I would be looked at as an idiot if I got out of my Hyundai on the street and tried telling someone it's a Corvette just because I think I have a right to drive a Corvette!!! I can't call a motorcycle a pick up truck either. Sure, you can argue that they both have wheels and they accomplish the same thing, but they are inherently different from each other...both require licenses to drive, both are recognized as legitimate means of transportation by the government, but both are classified in uniquely different ways. In fact, one requires a license that is greatly different than the other in order to drive it, but it is still different and we should keep it as such. Do both drivers have a right to choose which to drive and the right to drive one rather than the other!?!? No...but they do have a priveledge to choose!
And, why I'm writing this standpoint in my Daddy Diary...it's simple...if my child were to tell me they are gay, I would completely love them and support them...nothing would change. And yes, I can honestly say that because I believe it! I don't see myself changing my standpoint either if my gay child told me they wanted to get married.
My fear with all of this is in the foundation of marriage and the institution of marriage is at risk. I fear this because if gay marriage is legalized, I feel many gay couples would rush into marriage just because they can. And to those that disagree with this, I'd ask you if you would stop a younger brother/sister or friend if they jumped into marriage too early with their boyfriend/girlfriend?!?! Marriage is something that society treats very delicately as is. People don't rush into it because they are aware of the commitment it represents between a man and women...through sickness and health...not just because they want to "stick it to the man." I see far too many results of broken homes in my classroom already. I feel gay couples should have every opportunity (notice, I didn't use the word right) to adopt and raise a family together, but don't call it a marriage. Call it a family under one roof, but mom and mom or dad and dad are not married.
One fundamental argument I've left out of this posting is the element of God's view on all of this. I left it out because I don't know enough about that perspective, so I won't pretend I do and I certainly won't argue it. I wish others would consider my tip before demonizing myself and others because our views differ. This country was founded on differing views, so lets celebrate differences. Let's agree to disagree at times. But let's also move forward without putting others down. I'm willing to bet the majority of people who have posted that symbol on Facebook in the last few days have used a vulgar word in their conversations with friends/families over the years that would insult homosexuality and now they are suddenly avid supporters of their cause.
Thanks for taking the time to read my Daddy Diary. This entry, of course, was not entirely focused on my child, but it should hopefully give my daughter something to look back on when she grows up so she can understand some "hot button" issues being discussed in her country prior to her arrival. Most importantly, thanks for your thoughts, best wishes and/or prayers you send our way. Take care!
Apparently I missed the memo over the past 2 days that I need to change my Facebook picture to a symbol that represents equality and the right for gay people to marry each other?!?!
I'll throw my argument out in the open right away...read on if you'd like, if not, then don't judge my point of view because it's different than yours: I support equality and rights for gays, but I also support traditional marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In fact, I'd also like to discuss this topic with you in person because I'd like to better understand your point of view. However, if you are now irate with my thoughts (but hopefully not me as a person) then I fear we can't discuss this topic because it would turn into an argument. I'm willing to listen to you, if you're willing to listen to me. Actually, let's have a beer over it?!?!
This story has been brewing in this country over the past few years, and I think it is a ridiculous thing to make such a huge fuss over because people are missing the simplicity of the argument. Gays have every right as straight people in this country, however, certain states do not recognize their unions as "marriage." I feel gay people have every right to do anything straight people should, but marriage should not be one of them because that is not the definition of marriage. Even Supreme Court justices are starting to toss out ideas that are becoming ludicrous in my mind. Is the sole purpose of marriage to procreate and produce life?! Maybe, maybe not. I know plenty of straight couples who have chosen not to have children because it's their choice. And yes, I still considered them to be married couples, just as I would if 80 year olds choose to remarry after their spouses die. Will they procreate? Nope...but they certainly are married and we should recognize that as a marriage because it is one man and one woman. Should we limit marriages? Yes...to a man and a woman because that's what marriage is by definition. If you want to argue about words and definitions, take it up with Webster. Hell, invent a new word to recognize this relationship between gays, but please don't call it marriage. I don't feel superior to gays because I'm married and they're not, nor should they feel inferior to me because their relationship isn't recognized as a marriage. Because my view is different from this idea that everyone has suddenly been enlightened to, I now feel as an outcast in society, and even feel that if I were to voice my counter opinion on Facebook in a less aggressive way than some supporters, I feel my job could be at jeopardy...not to mention that I'd open myself to hateful insults.
If gays are suffering prejudice in the work place or other laws, they should not because they are human and they are entitled to the same God-given rights that everyone else is. But marriage is not a right, and it is certainly not written in the Constitution. In fact, marriage is not even listed in the Constitution. Certain parts of our society, in fact, large groups of people feel they need to re-write or even throw out the Constitutition whenever it differs from their point of view. To that, I say BS! I find it humorous that we have so many Constitutional scholars that come out of the woodwork when the country debates big issues. Heck, the Constitution explicitly states that I have a right to own and "bear" my gun, but the majority of those in support of gay marriage would argue otherwise by saying that the founders didn't mean what they wrote over 240 years ago!!!
What people are missing, is that marriage is not a right...it's a privelidge...so please don't try to change that. Gays are not being discriminated against by the majority of those that say they should not be married, people are simply stating that marriage is a man and woman thing. To say marriage is a right opens up a can of worms that we don't know about yet...perhaps your high school child will come home from school some day saying they want to be married to their boyfriend/girlfriend and that they have the right to do so!!!! What is the argument to that?! That your child is not of age?! Or they're too young? Well, if they have all the rights that everyone else in the country has, age shouldn't be a factor, and we don't want to put limits on marriage... right?!?!
I'm also irritated by the number of pictures showing up on Facebook depicting racists mobs from generations ago and their signs/posters/banners they are holding which have hateful words on them. Of course, the caption of the picture asks, "Which side of history will you be on in 40 years?" or "Won't you feel stupid 40 years from now?" My response is simple: Those pictures show hateful people resenting a group of people. To this date, I have yet to see a single sign in protest of the gay marriage issue that uses an offensive words against gays or lesbians. I find it insulting that my viewpoint is being compared to racist viewpoints from the past when I have nothing in common with those people or their hurtful words. Of course, there are some who oppose gay marriage who think about gays in offensive ways, but they are not the majority of us who feel this way, so please don't associate the majority with the minority. People would take offense if I tried to label all gay people as people who spread AIDS (this, of course, is a historical argument from generations ago), so please don't try to sway others to your beliefs with powerful words/images.
My problem with this whole issue is the word "marriage." Gays should have every opportunity to have a legally recognized relationship and the "perks" that go along with it, just like I have with my wife. They should be entitled to sharing insurance, death benefits and any other perk that I can have from my marital status, but please don't call it marriage. Most importantly, please don't demonize myself or any other person that holds this view that is in disagreement with yours. I'm not a hater, homophobe or any other words I hear thrown around in the media and in social networks today. In fact, for my entire adult life, I have worked with numerous gay people, and I like and respect all of them for who they are. Heck, I have gay people in my family...and I still love them for who they are. I have no problem with homosexuality, but I do have a problem with attempts to redefine a term that has been around for dozens of generations. I would be looked at as an idiot if I got out of my Hyundai on the street and tried telling someone it's a Corvette just because I think I have a right to drive a Corvette!!! I can't call a motorcycle a pick up truck either. Sure, you can argue that they both have wheels and they accomplish the same thing, but they are inherently different from each other...both require licenses to drive, both are recognized as legitimate means of transportation by the government, but both are classified in uniquely different ways. In fact, one requires a license that is greatly different than the other in order to drive it, but it is still different and we should keep it as such. Do both drivers have a right to choose which to drive and the right to drive one rather than the other!?!? No...but they do have a priveledge to choose!
And, why I'm writing this standpoint in my Daddy Diary...it's simple...if my child were to tell me they are gay, I would completely love them and support them...nothing would change. And yes, I can honestly say that because I believe it! I don't see myself changing my standpoint either if my gay child told me they wanted to get married.
My fear with all of this is in the foundation of marriage and the institution of marriage is at risk. I fear this because if gay marriage is legalized, I feel many gay couples would rush into marriage just because they can. And to those that disagree with this, I'd ask you if you would stop a younger brother/sister or friend if they jumped into marriage too early with their boyfriend/girlfriend?!?! Marriage is something that society treats very delicately as is. People don't rush into it because they are aware of the commitment it represents between a man and women...through sickness and health...not just because they want to "stick it to the man." I see far too many results of broken homes in my classroom already. I feel gay couples should have every opportunity (notice, I didn't use the word right) to adopt and raise a family together, but don't call it a marriage. Call it a family under one roof, but mom and mom or dad and dad are not married.
One fundamental argument I've left out of this posting is the element of God's view on all of this. I left it out because I don't know enough about that perspective, so I won't pretend I do and I certainly won't argue it. I wish others would consider my tip before demonizing myself and others because our views differ. This country was founded on differing views, so lets celebrate differences. Let's agree to disagree at times. But let's also move forward without putting others down. I'm willing to bet the majority of people who have posted that symbol on Facebook in the last few days have used a vulgar word in their conversations with friends/families over the years that would insult homosexuality and now they are suddenly avid supporters of their cause.
Thanks for taking the time to read my Daddy Diary. This entry, of course, was not entirely focused on my child, but it should hopefully give my daughter something to look back on when she grows up so she can understand some "hot button" issues being discussed in her country prior to her arrival. Most importantly, thanks for your thoughts, best wishes and/or prayers you send our way. Take care!
A "bulging bag"
3/26/13
I know the baby is definitely mine because she is still too stubborn to want to come out...
We had yet another doctor's appointment tonight. No progress was made in the past few days in terms of dialation or effacing. However, we now know of the "bulging bag" as the doc called it. The bag of water that baby is sloshing around in has started to descend slightly...so that is apparently a good thing. So good infact, she warned us that the water could break at any time! I guess that's good news and bad news. Good because it means we're getting closer. Bad news because we don't know when it's going to happen...and therefore, I don't know how wise it would be to start a water balloon fight with Laura over the next couple of weeks!!!
I'm happy to report that all is continuing to go well for us! Laura is doing great and is very healthy, and the baby is doing great as well. During the exam tonight, the doctor pressed down on Laura's tummy to listen to the heartbeat. When doing that, the heartbeat went up a little bit. This is a good indicator because it is showing the baby is dealing with stress in a good way. She also reminded us that during labor, they will monitor the baby's heartbeat to ensure it's rate is increasing at apporpriate times and at appropriate levels during contractions and such. Laura's belly is so firm right now...I don't know how the little nugget inside has any room to move, let alone twitch as often as it does. I'm almost positive the baby's back is against Laura's tummy...it's so solid...and up on top of her belly...it has to be the baby's butt because Laura has a cute little shelf! I taunted her tonight by saying she would have a perfect cocktail holder if she was able to use it!!!
Today I started writing in the new baby book. There are a few pages I was able to write in prior to
D-Day but the rest will have to wait. It has some fun stickers to write on and stick in various places which mark the various little moments/firsts along the way.
Well, it's time to wrap up this post and head to bed. Until I have some news to relay, this is it for now. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary. We greatly appreciate your best wishes, kind thoughts, and/or prayers you've sent our way for the past 39 weeks and 1 day!!! Take care!
I know the baby is definitely mine because she is still too stubborn to want to come out...
We had yet another doctor's appointment tonight. No progress was made in the past few days in terms of dialation or effacing. However, we now know of the "bulging bag" as the doc called it. The bag of water that baby is sloshing around in has started to descend slightly...so that is apparently a good thing. So good infact, she warned us that the water could break at any time! I guess that's good news and bad news. Good because it means we're getting closer. Bad news because we don't know when it's going to happen...and therefore, I don't know how wise it would be to start a water balloon fight with Laura over the next couple of weeks!!!
I'm happy to report that all is continuing to go well for us! Laura is doing great and is very healthy, and the baby is doing great as well. During the exam tonight, the doctor pressed down on Laura's tummy to listen to the heartbeat. When doing that, the heartbeat went up a little bit. This is a good indicator because it is showing the baby is dealing with stress in a good way. She also reminded us that during labor, they will monitor the baby's heartbeat to ensure it's rate is increasing at apporpriate times and at appropriate levels during contractions and such. Laura's belly is so firm right now...I don't know how the little nugget inside has any room to move, let alone twitch as often as it does. I'm almost positive the baby's back is against Laura's tummy...it's so solid...and up on top of her belly...it has to be the baby's butt because Laura has a cute little shelf! I taunted her tonight by saying she would have a perfect cocktail holder if she was able to use it!!!
Today I started writing in the new baby book. There are a few pages I was able to write in prior to
D-Day but the rest will have to wait. It has some fun stickers to write on and stick in various places which mark the various little moments/firsts along the way.
Well, it's time to wrap up this post and head to bed. Until I have some news to relay, this is it for now. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary. We greatly appreciate your best wishes, kind thoughts, and/or prayers you've sent our way for the past 39 weeks and 1 day!!! Take care!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Baby's Library
3/25/13
Our baby better like story time with mom and dad!!!
As we were getting ready for dinner on saturday night, Laura said she wanted to go to Barnes and Noble to get some books to read to baby. So after dinner was through (I did an awesome job with some mega pork chops, I might add!) we headed out to one of our favorite stores for some browsing. About an hour later, we left with 2 bags full of books...mission accomplished! So now, a small book shelf we moved into the baby room now has a wide variety of books on it!
We plan to start reading to baby right away after she is born. Whether it's a story at night or reading aloud from one of our books if she's in our arms, we want to raise a baby that reading "programmed" into her at a young age. Especially from a teacher's point of view, it's so easy to see if students were raised in a home with little emphasis and/or value placed on education and reading. Even if it's a boring book I'm reading aloud for a few pages to help her fall asleep as an infant, she's hearing my voice and hearing new words...all of which will probably be good for her development.
In the meantime, I'm on Spring Break this week...I was hoping to have the little bundle of joy arrive early so I could have an extra week home with Laura and baby, but we'll see what mother nature has in store for us this week. Until she arrives, we'll just continue waiting for contractions. I'll keep Lexi entertained during the day while Laura works. I'm looking forward to passing my time with some Call of Duty and continuing reading from a book I just started, "Unbroken." It's been a top 10 best seller for almost 3 years. Almost 30 pages into, I can see why. It's about an Olympic runner who then joined the military during WWII only to be shot down and taken prisoner by the Japanese.
We also did some rearranging in the baby's room. I'll try to snap a picture of the most updated version. We hung a blanket on the wall and moved a small bookshelf from the closet into the room. I thought we had her room ready before...but now it's really ready!!!
Until I have more news to update, likely after our doctor appointment tomorrow night, that's all I have for now. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary and for your continued best thoughts/wishes and/or prayers you've sent our way...for 39 weeks now! We are now 1 week away from D-Day!!!!
Our baby better like story time with mom and dad!!!
As we were getting ready for dinner on saturday night, Laura said she wanted to go to Barnes and Noble to get some books to read to baby. So after dinner was through (I did an awesome job with some mega pork chops, I might add!) we headed out to one of our favorite stores for some browsing. About an hour later, we left with 2 bags full of books...mission accomplished! So now, a small book shelf we moved into the baby room now has a wide variety of books on it!
We plan to start reading to baby right away after she is born. Whether it's a story at night or reading aloud from one of our books if she's in our arms, we want to raise a baby that reading "programmed" into her at a young age. Especially from a teacher's point of view, it's so easy to see if students were raised in a home with little emphasis and/or value placed on education and reading. Even if it's a boring book I'm reading aloud for a few pages to help her fall asleep as an infant, she's hearing my voice and hearing new words...all of which will probably be good for her development.
In the meantime, I'm on Spring Break this week...I was hoping to have the little bundle of joy arrive early so I could have an extra week home with Laura and baby, but we'll see what mother nature has in store for us this week. Until she arrives, we'll just continue waiting for contractions. I'll keep Lexi entertained during the day while Laura works. I'm looking forward to passing my time with some Call of Duty and continuing reading from a book I just started, "Unbroken." It's been a top 10 best seller for almost 3 years. Almost 30 pages into, I can see why. It's about an Olympic runner who then joined the military during WWII only to be shot down and taken prisoner by the Japanese.
We also did some rearranging in the baby's room. I'll try to snap a picture of the most updated version. We hung a blanket on the wall and moved a small bookshelf from the closet into the room. I thought we had her room ready before...but now it's really ready!!!
Until I have more news to update, likely after our doctor appointment tomorrow night, that's all I have for now. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary and for your continued best thoughts/wishes and/or prayers you've sent our way...for 39 weeks now! We are now 1 week away from D-Day!!!!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
A little more progress! (And some pictures)
3/21/13
Our lame lives continue as Laura's body slowly continues to progress towards baby's arrival.
We had another doctor visit tonight. She informed us Laura has dialated slightly more since the last visit...she's now 2 cm, compared to 1.5 for the last 2 weeks! It's a little progress, but not a whole lot!
Over the last week or so, our lives have become very boring as we await the arrival of our little girl. The nursery is complete. All (at least we think) supplies and purchases have been made. The car seat is installed. The house is ready. Lexi is curious. Now, we just need our little bundle of joy to arrive. We have basically sat around, waiting for contractions to start.
As for both of us...we have our work settled away and ready for someone to step in and fill our shoes while we're out. I spoke with my long term sub on the phone tonight and have all the details hammered out for now. When the time comes, I'll have to get him access to my computer and he'll be set. Fortunately for Laura, she'll have a team of coworkers sharing her responsibilities, so it won't rest on the shoulders of one person.
Next week is my Spring Break...I'm hoping baby arrives a little early so I get a longer break and more time home with my girls. We'll just have to see if baby cooperates with my wishful thinking or not.
I've been meaning to get these on here the past few days, but here's a picture of our finished baby room, and a picture of Laura's baby bump at 38+ weeks!
And with that, I'll wrap up my shortest post yet. I'll keep you all posted if anything changes between now and our next appointment on Tuesday. Thanks so much for reading my Daddy Diary, and we appreciate your kind words, best wishes, thoughts and/or prayers you've sent our way for the past 38+ weeks! Take care!
Our lame lives continue as Laura's body slowly continues to progress towards baby's arrival.
We had another doctor visit tonight. She informed us Laura has dialated slightly more since the last visit...she's now 2 cm, compared to 1.5 for the last 2 weeks! It's a little progress, but not a whole lot!
Over the last week or so, our lives have become very boring as we await the arrival of our little girl. The nursery is complete. All (at least we think) supplies and purchases have been made. The car seat is installed. The house is ready. Lexi is curious. Now, we just need our little bundle of joy to arrive. We have basically sat around, waiting for contractions to start.
As for both of us...we have our work settled away and ready for someone to step in and fill our shoes while we're out. I spoke with my long term sub on the phone tonight and have all the details hammered out for now. When the time comes, I'll have to get him access to my computer and he'll be set. Fortunately for Laura, she'll have a team of coworkers sharing her responsibilities, so it won't rest on the shoulders of one person.
Next week is my Spring Break...I'm hoping baby arrives a little early so I get a longer break and more time home with my girls. We'll just have to see if baby cooperates with my wishful thinking or not.
I've been meaning to get these on here the past few days, but here's a picture of our finished baby room, and a picture of Laura's baby bump at 38+ weeks!
And with that, I'll wrap up my shortest post yet. I'll keep you all posted if anything changes between now and our next appointment on Tuesday. Thanks so much for reading my Daddy Diary, and we appreciate your kind words, best wishes, thoughts and/or prayers you've sent our way for the past 38+ weeks! Take care!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Baby Book
3/17/13
Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone...I hope this isn't a common occurence in the future, but I didn't even get to enjoy a Guiness and shot of Jameson today...of all days!!! Just a heads up...this is a bit long...so grab a Guiness and enjoy, lads!!!
Yesterday, we went to Babies R Us..yet again! We had to get burp clothes and a few small misc. things. While there, I picked up a Baby Book. It was the last one on the shelf of this particular type and I was really looking forward to filling out some of the pages because I hadn't blogged about those things...but...when we got home, Laura checked it out and found that one of the bindings/rings was broken!!! So...this blog is focused on some of the topics I found interesting in the baby book that we are now going to be returning!!!...And, of course, this entry is dedicated to our little girl that will read this some day in the future...
#1 - Where mommy and daddy are from and their background info:
Mommy = Laura Jean Lemke (maiden name, Christiansen) from Glenfield, ND. She was born on August 22, 1985. Until attending college (and meeting your daddy!) in Duluth, MN, she grew up on a farm next to her grandparents. She graduated high school from Midkota High School in 2003. After college, she moved in with my parents and I, in Mendota Heights, MN for a little over a year while we worked and saved money for our house, which we have now lived in for almost 4 years. Among her many talents and interests are scrapbooking, organizing, traveling, geocaching, hanging out with Lexi, and sipping wine with her husband on their deck.
Daddy = Daniel Timothy Lemke from Mendota Heights, MN. I was born on April 9, 1985...a day after my mom. Until I was 4, we lived off of West 7th Street in St. Paul, near the historic Landmark Brewery, not far from downtown St. Paul. We moved to Mendota Heights, where I attended school and graduated from Henry Sibley High School in 2003. I always wanted to go to UMD as a kid, so when I was accepted my senior year, the rest was easy! Among my many interests, and not-so-many talents, are hunting, 4 wheeling, reading boring history books (I particularly enjoy biographies and the American Revolution era), a re-kindled interest in video games, watching "Cops" on TV, sipping wine with my lovely wife and letting Lexi chew on my arms and hands when we wrestle!
#2 - How mommy and daddy met
Since I went into detail on this topic in one of my first posts in this blog, I'll briefly recap: We met through a high school classmate that I graduated with during the first weekend at college. While visiting my friend, I couldn't help but wonder who was the cute blonde that lived 2 doors down. Our first date was in late October of 2003. I took Laura to dinner at Grandma's restaurant in Canal Park in Duluth, where she ordered a chicken sandwich. After dinner, we proceeded to the highlight of our night...a UMD Bulldog hockey game. This was her first hockey game, and we now share a love for the sport!!! I proposed in Rice Park during the Winter Carnival in downtown St. Paul in late January 2008. Little did I know that a beauty pageant was taking place in the park that night, so I spent my time focused on walking around amongst the ice sculptures trying to find a quiet place to "pop the question." I finally found a nice big tree with lots of lights in it, and got down on my knee and asked her to marry me. She was shocked, and much to my dismay, she didn't even shed a tear!!! Our wedding day, June 13, 2009 was perfect. It was a nice, sunny day on the shores of Lake Superior in Two Harbors, MN. We had well over 200 friends and family join us for a great weekend at the resort and helped us celebrate our wedding day!
#3 - Mommy's pregnancy
We found out Laura was pregnant in a fun way...she jumped into bed early one July morning and was whispering to wake me up, "Sweety, sweety, look! We're pregnant!" and was holding the test stick. We were both extremely happy...and shocked at our efficiency!!! I've been super excited the whole time, while Laura has been a bit more reserved with nerves...yet still very happy! We're both nervous about how good of parents we'll be, and how our lives will change...though we know our baby will transform our lives for the better! The first people we told were my old teaching buddy, Jon. He and I typically emailed each other weekly and sent occassional texts, but when I sent him several texts one day telling him to call me, he knew something was up. Over the next 3 weekends as our schedule found us traveling to be with friends, we slowly let our close friends in on our secret. When we went to Milwaukee, I told my old roomate and great buddy, Scuba Steve. When we went fishing up at the 6 Pak Shak, I told my 3 "brothers", the Boland boys. Laura called and told her close friends, Stephanie and Megan, and we told Adam and Shana in person when they came over in early August for dinner...our parents wouldn't find out until late August when Laura's parents had a planned trip to the cities.
#4 - Current Events and Pop Culture
(I found this to be the most interesting page to include in a baby book, of course, so I wanted to include this for the record!) Important world leaders today include our president, Barrack Obama (though I'd argue that he isn't a great leader!!!) and a whole bunch of other guys that seem to be content with letting things happen in the world around us as terrorists continue their suicide bombings on our troops overseas, and innocent civilians in the Middle East and around the world. The economy is currently horrible. Though the president would argue that it's recovering, he continues to want to raise taxes to help pay for all the things he wants our government to spend money on. Our unemployment rate is near 10%, people are struggling to find jobs, companies are sending production overseas to keep costs low, our housing market is slowly crawling out of a whole that started a few years ago due to too many people buying homes that could not afford them. Prices keep rising on most goods, salaries have slowed and everyone seems to be holding onto their money because they don't know what the next 6 months will bring them...though they are now spending a bit more freely than they were the last few years. Current fashion trends in our society scare me because I'm having a daughter. Girls are into spaghetti strap tank tops, tight jeans, short shorts, and lately, skin-tight yoga pants and brown boots called "Ugs" (I think they're called this because of how ugly they are, but my students deny this!). Guys share a trend with girls in the sense that they buy blue jeans that are pre-faded, tattered and torn...rather than doing this themselves. Other than that, guys still wear baseball hats around...thank, God! As for me, I'm a trend-setter...I love my Crocs with socks, and I enjoy wearing one of my many jerseys at every opportunity I get...and whenever possible, I break out the camo...though Laura severely limits this!!! Hit movies recently, are an oxymoron, because I've only seen a couple in the last few years because they all seem so stupid...sci-fi or action movies that are very futuristic with stupid special effects. Batman has made a return the last few years, but is seems futuristic too. I can't even begin to list some movies in the theaters because movies are expensive, and I haven't seen to many previews that make me want to go see a movie at a theater. Famous artists today include my favorite, Taylor Swift (country music/pop), ...other than that (I know there are more) most famous people in our society today seem to famous for doing nothing (Kardashian sisters, Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber...though, apparently he sings?!?!), which also means most are on reality TV shows that are fake and made up to get audience members hooked into the drama that is supposed to be "real." Shows that seek talent like American Idol, X-Factor, The Voice, The Bachelor, Survivor and many other spin offs now dominate nightly lineups and provide zero educational value and continue to provide countless, meaningless conversations at work with co-workers, while there seem to be almost no sitcoms that appeal to whole families anymore...like those I grew up watching such as, Full House, Home Improvement, Family Matters, Step by Step, Boy Meets World and a few others. Wow...that got cynical!!!
Today's prices...
Gallon of gas = $3.69
Gallon of milk = $3.29
Music CD = $12.99ish (most people now download music for $1.29 per song on iTunes)
Movie ticket = $7ish (see movie comment above...I'm kind of out of the loop)
Postage stamp = 44 cents
And with that...I'll wrap up this post. There are more topics that I'll touch on at a later time from this baby book. Baby's delivery, labor, going home, 1st birthday, birth announcement, etc...On a much more meaningful note, our baby room is now complete. I assembled the new recliner grandpa and grandma Christiansen purchased for us! It's awesome...and the room is ready! Our new baby monitors are sweet and are ready to go too! Thanks so much for reading this long entry from my Daddy Diary. We appreciate your best thoughts, wishes and/or prayers you continue to send our way. I'll let you know as soon as the contractions start!!! Take care!
Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone...I hope this isn't a common occurence in the future, but I didn't even get to enjoy a Guiness and shot of Jameson today...of all days!!! Just a heads up...this is a bit long...so grab a Guiness and enjoy, lads!!!
Yesterday, we went to Babies R Us..yet again! We had to get burp clothes and a few small misc. things. While there, I picked up a Baby Book. It was the last one on the shelf of this particular type and I was really looking forward to filling out some of the pages because I hadn't blogged about those things...but...when we got home, Laura checked it out and found that one of the bindings/rings was broken!!! So...this blog is focused on some of the topics I found interesting in the baby book that we are now going to be returning!!!...And, of course, this entry is dedicated to our little girl that will read this some day in the future...
#1 - Where mommy and daddy are from and their background info:
Mommy = Laura Jean Lemke (maiden name, Christiansen) from Glenfield, ND. She was born on August 22, 1985. Until attending college (and meeting your daddy!) in Duluth, MN, she grew up on a farm next to her grandparents. She graduated high school from Midkota High School in 2003. After college, she moved in with my parents and I, in Mendota Heights, MN for a little over a year while we worked and saved money for our house, which we have now lived in for almost 4 years. Among her many talents and interests are scrapbooking, organizing, traveling, geocaching, hanging out with Lexi, and sipping wine with her husband on their deck.
Daddy = Daniel Timothy Lemke from Mendota Heights, MN. I was born on April 9, 1985...a day after my mom. Until I was 4, we lived off of West 7th Street in St. Paul, near the historic Landmark Brewery, not far from downtown St. Paul. We moved to Mendota Heights, where I attended school and graduated from Henry Sibley High School in 2003. I always wanted to go to UMD as a kid, so when I was accepted my senior year, the rest was easy! Among my many interests, and not-so-many talents, are hunting, 4 wheeling, reading boring history books (I particularly enjoy biographies and the American Revolution era), a re-kindled interest in video games, watching "Cops" on TV, sipping wine with my lovely wife and letting Lexi chew on my arms and hands when we wrestle!
#2 - How mommy and daddy met
Since I went into detail on this topic in one of my first posts in this blog, I'll briefly recap: We met through a high school classmate that I graduated with during the first weekend at college. While visiting my friend, I couldn't help but wonder who was the cute blonde that lived 2 doors down. Our first date was in late October of 2003. I took Laura to dinner at Grandma's restaurant in Canal Park in Duluth, where she ordered a chicken sandwich. After dinner, we proceeded to the highlight of our night...a UMD Bulldog hockey game. This was her first hockey game, and we now share a love for the sport!!! I proposed in Rice Park during the Winter Carnival in downtown St. Paul in late January 2008. Little did I know that a beauty pageant was taking place in the park that night, so I spent my time focused on walking around amongst the ice sculptures trying to find a quiet place to "pop the question." I finally found a nice big tree with lots of lights in it, and got down on my knee and asked her to marry me. She was shocked, and much to my dismay, she didn't even shed a tear!!! Our wedding day, June 13, 2009 was perfect. It was a nice, sunny day on the shores of Lake Superior in Two Harbors, MN. We had well over 200 friends and family join us for a great weekend at the resort and helped us celebrate our wedding day!
#3 - Mommy's pregnancy
We found out Laura was pregnant in a fun way...she jumped into bed early one July morning and was whispering to wake me up, "Sweety, sweety, look! We're pregnant!" and was holding the test stick. We were both extremely happy...and shocked at our efficiency!!! I've been super excited the whole time, while Laura has been a bit more reserved with nerves...yet still very happy! We're both nervous about how good of parents we'll be, and how our lives will change...though we know our baby will transform our lives for the better! The first people we told were my old teaching buddy, Jon. He and I typically emailed each other weekly and sent occassional texts, but when I sent him several texts one day telling him to call me, he knew something was up. Over the next 3 weekends as our schedule found us traveling to be with friends, we slowly let our close friends in on our secret. When we went to Milwaukee, I told my old roomate and great buddy, Scuba Steve. When we went fishing up at the 6 Pak Shak, I told my 3 "brothers", the Boland boys. Laura called and told her close friends, Stephanie and Megan, and we told Adam and Shana in person when they came over in early August for dinner...our parents wouldn't find out until late August when Laura's parents had a planned trip to the cities.
#4 - Current Events and Pop Culture
(I found this to be the most interesting page to include in a baby book, of course, so I wanted to include this for the record!) Important world leaders today include our president, Barrack Obama (though I'd argue that he isn't a great leader!!!) and a whole bunch of other guys that seem to be content with letting things happen in the world around us as terrorists continue their suicide bombings on our troops overseas, and innocent civilians in the Middle East and around the world. The economy is currently horrible. Though the president would argue that it's recovering, he continues to want to raise taxes to help pay for all the things he wants our government to spend money on. Our unemployment rate is near 10%, people are struggling to find jobs, companies are sending production overseas to keep costs low, our housing market is slowly crawling out of a whole that started a few years ago due to too many people buying homes that could not afford them. Prices keep rising on most goods, salaries have slowed and everyone seems to be holding onto their money because they don't know what the next 6 months will bring them...though they are now spending a bit more freely than they were the last few years. Current fashion trends in our society scare me because I'm having a daughter. Girls are into spaghetti strap tank tops, tight jeans, short shorts, and lately, skin-tight yoga pants and brown boots called "Ugs" (I think they're called this because of how ugly they are, but my students deny this!). Guys share a trend with girls in the sense that they buy blue jeans that are pre-faded, tattered and torn...rather than doing this themselves. Other than that, guys still wear baseball hats around...thank, God! As for me, I'm a trend-setter...I love my Crocs with socks, and I enjoy wearing one of my many jerseys at every opportunity I get...and whenever possible, I break out the camo...though Laura severely limits this!!! Hit movies recently, are an oxymoron, because I've only seen a couple in the last few years because they all seem so stupid...sci-fi or action movies that are very futuristic with stupid special effects. Batman has made a return the last few years, but is seems futuristic too. I can't even begin to list some movies in the theaters because movies are expensive, and I haven't seen to many previews that make me want to go see a movie at a theater. Famous artists today include my favorite, Taylor Swift (country music/pop), ...other than that (I know there are more) most famous people in our society today seem to famous for doing nothing (Kardashian sisters, Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber...though, apparently he sings?!?!), which also means most are on reality TV shows that are fake and made up to get audience members hooked into the drama that is supposed to be "real." Shows that seek talent like American Idol, X-Factor, The Voice, The Bachelor, Survivor and many other spin offs now dominate nightly lineups and provide zero educational value and continue to provide countless, meaningless conversations at work with co-workers, while there seem to be almost no sitcoms that appeal to whole families anymore...like those I grew up watching such as, Full House, Home Improvement, Family Matters, Step by Step, Boy Meets World and a few others. Wow...that got cynical!!!
Today's prices...
Gallon of gas = $3.69
Gallon of milk = $3.29
Music CD = $12.99ish (most people now download music for $1.29 per song on iTunes)
Movie ticket = $7ish (see movie comment above...I'm kind of out of the loop)
Postage stamp = 44 cents
And with that...I'll wrap up this post. There are more topics that I'll touch on at a later time from this baby book. Baby's delivery, labor, going home, 1st birthday, birth announcement, etc...On a much more meaningful note, our baby room is now complete. I assembled the new recliner grandpa and grandma Christiansen purchased for us! It's awesome...and the room is ready! Our new baby monitors are sweet and are ready to go too! Thanks so much for reading this long entry from my Daddy Diary. We appreciate your best thoughts, wishes and/or prayers you continue to send our way. I'll let you know as soon as the contractions start!!! Take care!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Progressing...
3/14/13
Happy Pi Day to all of you math nerds reading this blog...actually, I'm not sure if there are any?!?! Regardless, do you know the name of the largest knight in King Arthur's Court? It's Sir Cumference!!! Ok...no more cheezy jokes...I promise...but I heard it at school today, so I had to share!
***On a recent post, I requested you to offer your comments to my blog if you'd like to provide your input/thoughts to our pregnancy story...I looked at my settings tonight and discovered a default blog setting that only lets certain Google+ people to comment on my blogs...now I switched it so anyone may comment. So, I'll ask again, knowing that maybe you tried before and weren't able to...if you particularly enjoyed an entry, or wanted to ask a question or just offer a comment so I can share an outside perspective on our story...I'd love to add that to the book I'll assemble for my baby when she gets old enough to read it!!! Thanks for your help in making this a unique experience for myself, and for helping create a great story for my child!
We made some progress towards the arrival of baby. Tonight we had our weekly doctor appointment. Laura is still at 1.5 centimeters dilated. However, she is progressing nicely and is now 85% effaced...which means the cervix is thinning/shortening. I hope you're impressed with this, because I know I am...after 9 months of pregnancy and doctor's office visits, I can now say the proper names of some lady parts without giggling!!! Anyways, thank God Laura asked the doc to explain this tonight, because I was going to have to work up the courage for next week...and who knows if I'd have that opportunity if baby decides to arrive early!?! She explained by saying the cervix is typically 2-3 inches long, and at 85%, it is now only about 1/4 - 1/2 inch long...meaning mama's body is slowly getting ready for baby to arrive. Laura has still not had any contractions, but now that we are technically "full-term" since we're past 37 weeks, baby could arrive at any time.
Last week we scrambled to get our "go bag" ready after our appointment, but tonight we just came home and chilled! We've both had a long week, but thankfully it's flown by...if that makes any sense?!?! I'm chalking it all up to getting ready for baby, but my mind has totally gone to crap over the past 1-2 weeks! I've been trying to get my room ready to go for a sub to take over for a couple of weeks should I not make it to school. Between getting lessons straightened out, copies sent off for printing and keeping up with grading...I can't keep it all straight! Add to it that this is a busy time of year for our AVID program as we are in the thick of recruiting new students for next year. Unlike most classes that students take, students need to be recommended by staff, we have to pull their academic data (state test scores, GPAs, etc), analyze that data to see who fits the profile we're looking for, contact home with phone calls, send application packets, conduct an informational meeting, wait for applications to be returned, determine which students to interview and make final selections for making schedules...all of that requires coordination behind the scenes...and thus, my "coordinator" title for both buildings. Luckily, I did it all last year too, so at least I have more of an idea of what to do this time around!!! Not that you all cared to know about what sort of stuff is on my mind, but it's my blog, so I get to write about whatever I want!!! Add on top of all that stuff that I'm constantly thinking about Laura and baby...hoping she is doing ok and hopeful that her body isn't making life too difficult for her as we come down the home stretch over the next couple of weeks.
On a different baby note...I got some daddy training Tuesday night!!! We went to visit our friends who had a baby at the end of January. It was great to see my coworker who I always chatted with constantly during the day, but haven't seen for 2 months! Her little girl, Lyla, is adorable. We got there and Laura was offered first grabs to hold her...of course, Laura passed up on that option, fearful that she'd "break someone else's kid!" So, I took her, and held her for pretty much the entire duration of our visit. I also got some practice giving her a bottle and doing the whole burping thing. Our friends must have been impressed with my awesome skills...ha...but apparently with throwing a towel over my shoulder and getting the baby burped, they both comment that it looked like I had done it often before!!! Now I'm thankful for all of those long nights of babysitting in high school. I explained that I watched nearly all of the kids in my neighborhood at some point in time, with ages ranging from 6 months to 4th graders! I'm just hopeful it all translates to adequate daddy skills with my own child in the near future...and hopefully that I'll progress and be a good dad for her as she grows up!!!
Not knowing when we'll be grabbing our bags and heading to the hospital, I'll give you all a final update on our thoughts for informing everyone when baby arrives...I'll let the grandparents know when we're heading to the hospital, and I'll let them update everyone else. Until baby arrives, unless it takes an unusually long time or if I get a chance during the whole process, I'll probably be pretty scarce in my communication. I'll text the grandparents on occasion, but definitely won't be able to respond to texts nor answer my phone. Once our baby arrives, I'll send out texts and pictures once mom and baby are all stabilized. Because we'll need to move from our delivery room to our regular room, and will try to get some rest and clean up, it'll probably be more than a few hours before send out invitations to some visitors. Our baby class instructor told us a story of a couple giving birth and within 36 hours, they had over 40 visitors...sorry, we love you all, but we won't be trying to beat that record!!!
I'll leave you all with some suspense on this latest edition of my Daddy Diary...Laura and I have settled on the name for our baby!!! It's starts with the letter ..... And with that...I'll wrap up this post!!! Thank you all for your continued thoughts/best wishes and/or prayers you send our way...they're all greatly appreciated! And of course, thanks for reading my Daddy Diary! Take care!
Happy Pi Day to all of you math nerds reading this blog...actually, I'm not sure if there are any?!?! Regardless, do you know the name of the largest knight in King Arthur's Court? It's Sir Cumference!!! Ok...no more cheezy jokes...I promise...but I heard it at school today, so I had to share!
***On a recent post, I requested you to offer your comments to my blog if you'd like to provide your input/thoughts to our pregnancy story...I looked at my settings tonight and discovered a default blog setting that only lets certain Google+ people to comment on my blogs...now I switched it so anyone may comment. So, I'll ask again, knowing that maybe you tried before and weren't able to...if you particularly enjoyed an entry, or wanted to ask a question or just offer a comment so I can share an outside perspective on our story...I'd love to add that to the book I'll assemble for my baby when she gets old enough to read it!!! Thanks for your help in making this a unique experience for myself, and for helping create a great story for my child!
We made some progress towards the arrival of baby. Tonight we had our weekly doctor appointment. Laura is still at 1.5 centimeters dilated. However, she is progressing nicely and is now 85% effaced...which means the cervix is thinning/shortening. I hope you're impressed with this, because I know I am...after 9 months of pregnancy and doctor's office visits, I can now say the proper names of some lady parts without giggling!!! Anyways, thank God Laura asked the doc to explain this tonight, because I was going to have to work up the courage for next week...and who knows if I'd have that opportunity if baby decides to arrive early!?! She explained by saying the cervix is typically 2-3 inches long, and at 85%, it is now only about 1/4 - 1/2 inch long...meaning mama's body is slowly getting ready for baby to arrive. Laura has still not had any contractions, but now that we are technically "full-term" since we're past 37 weeks, baby could arrive at any time.
Last week we scrambled to get our "go bag" ready after our appointment, but tonight we just came home and chilled! We've both had a long week, but thankfully it's flown by...if that makes any sense?!?! I'm chalking it all up to getting ready for baby, but my mind has totally gone to crap over the past 1-2 weeks! I've been trying to get my room ready to go for a sub to take over for a couple of weeks should I not make it to school. Between getting lessons straightened out, copies sent off for printing and keeping up with grading...I can't keep it all straight! Add to it that this is a busy time of year for our AVID program as we are in the thick of recruiting new students for next year. Unlike most classes that students take, students need to be recommended by staff, we have to pull their academic data (state test scores, GPAs, etc), analyze that data to see who fits the profile we're looking for, contact home with phone calls, send application packets, conduct an informational meeting, wait for applications to be returned, determine which students to interview and make final selections for making schedules...all of that requires coordination behind the scenes...and thus, my "coordinator" title for both buildings. Luckily, I did it all last year too, so at least I have more of an idea of what to do this time around!!! Not that you all cared to know about what sort of stuff is on my mind, but it's my blog, so I get to write about whatever I want!!! Add on top of all that stuff that I'm constantly thinking about Laura and baby...hoping she is doing ok and hopeful that her body isn't making life too difficult for her as we come down the home stretch over the next couple of weeks.
On a different baby note...I got some daddy training Tuesday night!!! We went to visit our friends who had a baby at the end of January. It was great to see my coworker who I always chatted with constantly during the day, but haven't seen for 2 months! Her little girl, Lyla, is adorable. We got there and Laura was offered first grabs to hold her...of course, Laura passed up on that option, fearful that she'd "break someone else's kid!" So, I took her, and held her for pretty much the entire duration of our visit. I also got some practice giving her a bottle and doing the whole burping thing. Our friends must have been impressed with my awesome skills...ha...but apparently with throwing a towel over my shoulder and getting the baby burped, they both comment that it looked like I had done it often before!!! Now I'm thankful for all of those long nights of babysitting in high school. I explained that I watched nearly all of the kids in my neighborhood at some point in time, with ages ranging from 6 months to 4th graders! I'm just hopeful it all translates to adequate daddy skills with my own child in the near future...and hopefully that I'll progress and be a good dad for her as she grows up!!!
Not knowing when we'll be grabbing our bags and heading to the hospital, I'll give you all a final update on our thoughts for informing everyone when baby arrives...I'll let the grandparents know when we're heading to the hospital, and I'll let them update everyone else. Until baby arrives, unless it takes an unusually long time or if I get a chance during the whole process, I'll probably be pretty scarce in my communication. I'll text the grandparents on occasion, but definitely won't be able to respond to texts nor answer my phone. Once our baby arrives, I'll send out texts and pictures once mom and baby are all stabilized. Because we'll need to move from our delivery room to our regular room, and will try to get some rest and clean up, it'll probably be more than a few hours before send out invitations to some visitors. Our baby class instructor told us a story of a couple giving birth and within 36 hours, they had over 40 visitors...sorry, we love you all, but we won't be trying to beat that record!!!
I'll leave you all with some suspense on this latest edition of my Daddy Diary...Laura and I have settled on the name for our baby!!! It's starts with the letter ..... And with that...I'll wrap up this post!!! Thank you all for your continued thoughts/best wishes and/or prayers you send our way...they're all greatly appreciated! And of course, thanks for reading my Daddy Diary! Take care!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Progress...
3/7/13
Laura's body continues to make progress towards preparing for baby's arrival...
Tonight we had another of our weekly appointments. It was so great to hear baby's heart beat again; and still, very strong! Everything is progressing really well. Last week, she was dialated .5 centimeter...tonight, she was up to 1.5 centimeters and is nearly half efaced. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it's something like parts of her body are now half way to where they need to be in order for baby to start traveling towards meeting us!
After returning home from this news from the doctor, we began making our final preparations with our "go bag"...which has now become 2 "go bags" with a baby bag tucked into another bag! We have our clothes in a duffel bag, and then our toiletries, cameras and other things in my camo backpack (I know...I can't believe she was cool with this idea either!!!) Baby's clothes are separate from the rest of ours so it's easy to find her little clothes amongst the rest of our crap. It was kind of weird...packing for 3...for the first time! It was fun...making sure she had socks, blankets and outfits. And still, we don't know if we have the right stuff packed for her! I know this will get easier with time and experience, but I feel totally unprepared to dress our baby while at the hospital. I'm anticipating they may have something, yet I'm guessing we'll also be primarily using blankets for the first day or so?!?!
Our bags are now assembled in our basement hallway and ready to be thrown in the car at a moment's notice. As of next monday, Laura will offically be "full-term" at 37 weeks, and baby can then truly arrive at any time. We were comforted tonight by knowing that if baby is born from this point forward, it won't need time in the ICU for lung/breathing development support. The car seat was installed over the last weekend, so the carrier just needs to be snapped in, and it's good to go. I feel being a parent has become much easier over time with so many new gadgets and gizmos to simplify and assist with child care, but at the same time, I think people have made it over-complicated and counter productive and rediculous at times. I just heard on the news this week, for example, that recent studies are suggesting old studies may have been wrong...to avoid food allergies, children should be exposed to foods such as nuts and fish as early as 4 months old, rather than 3 years old as stated in previous studies. Seriously?!? Isn't that common sense?! If someone/something is to adjust to something new, the more time something is given to make that adjustment, the better/smoother it will go?!?! I'm sure my perspective will change/adjust/grow with time and experience of my own...but as of right now, I feel Laura and I have a pretty good idea/road map as to how we'll raise our child and where we want her to go in life!
This week I had a snow day for the first time as a teacher...the first since we were at UMD, and if you don't count college, it's my first since elementary school!!! It's funny looking at that day now...I was so worthless on that snowday...perhaps for the last time in my life, I had a day to myself, with not much to do. I slept in later than I have in almost 4 years, endulged myself in video games and laziness for a few hours on end...Just Lexi and I for a day. Those days are few and far between...soon, I'll be outnumbered on snow days!!!
And that's it for now...I'll keep you posted if anything changes, otherwise, I'll give you an update after next week's doctor appointment. As always, we greatly appreciate your well-wishing, best thoughts and/or prayers you've continuously send our way. And most importantly, thanks for reading my Daddy Diary! Take care...
Laura's body continues to make progress towards preparing for baby's arrival...
Tonight we had another of our weekly appointments. It was so great to hear baby's heart beat again; and still, very strong! Everything is progressing really well. Last week, she was dialated .5 centimeter...tonight, she was up to 1.5 centimeters and is nearly half efaced. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it's something like parts of her body are now half way to where they need to be in order for baby to start traveling towards meeting us!
After returning home from this news from the doctor, we began making our final preparations with our "go bag"...which has now become 2 "go bags" with a baby bag tucked into another bag! We have our clothes in a duffel bag, and then our toiletries, cameras and other things in my camo backpack (I know...I can't believe she was cool with this idea either!!!) Baby's clothes are separate from the rest of ours so it's easy to find her little clothes amongst the rest of our crap. It was kind of weird...packing for 3...for the first time! It was fun...making sure she had socks, blankets and outfits. And still, we don't know if we have the right stuff packed for her! I know this will get easier with time and experience, but I feel totally unprepared to dress our baby while at the hospital. I'm anticipating they may have something, yet I'm guessing we'll also be primarily using blankets for the first day or so?!?!
Our bags are now assembled in our basement hallway and ready to be thrown in the car at a moment's notice. As of next monday, Laura will offically be "full-term" at 37 weeks, and baby can then truly arrive at any time. We were comforted tonight by knowing that if baby is born from this point forward, it won't need time in the ICU for lung/breathing development support. The car seat was installed over the last weekend, so the carrier just needs to be snapped in, and it's good to go. I feel being a parent has become much easier over time with so many new gadgets and gizmos to simplify and assist with child care, but at the same time, I think people have made it over-complicated and counter productive and rediculous at times. I just heard on the news this week, for example, that recent studies are suggesting old studies may have been wrong...to avoid food allergies, children should be exposed to foods such as nuts and fish as early as 4 months old, rather than 3 years old as stated in previous studies. Seriously?!? Isn't that common sense?! If someone/something is to adjust to something new, the more time something is given to make that adjustment, the better/smoother it will go?!?! I'm sure my perspective will change/adjust/grow with time and experience of my own...but as of right now, I feel Laura and I have a pretty good idea/road map as to how we'll raise our child and where we want her to go in life!
This week I had a snow day for the first time as a teacher...the first since we were at UMD, and if you don't count college, it's my first since elementary school!!! It's funny looking at that day now...I was so worthless on that snowday...perhaps for the last time in my life, I had a day to myself, with not much to do. I slept in later than I have in almost 4 years, endulged myself in video games and laziness for a few hours on end...Just Lexi and I for a day. Those days are few and far between...soon, I'll be outnumbered on snow days!!!
And that's it for now...I'll keep you posted if anything changes, otherwise, I'll give you an update after next week's doctor appointment. As always, we greatly appreciate your well-wishing, best thoughts and/or prayers you've continuously send our way. And most importantly, thanks for reading my Daddy Diary! Take care...
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Systems check...
3/3/13
With baby's arrival due anytime this month, we have put our baby preparations into finalizing mode lately. As the title suggests, tonight was a night of systems checks...finding the cameras, their charging cables and adapters and then making sure they are now charging and ready to go. And...to make sure I've thought of everything and tested everything, I'm typing this blog on my phone to see if it will work incase I can't get online with the iPad at the hospital.
I had all good intentions of packing the "go bag" this weekend but that is somewhat coming together as we speak. My clothes are packed...my 1 pair of boxers are set...I can manage for a couple of days in the clothing I wear in there...I'm just kidding...I also packed my toothbrush!!! As far as I know, I'm ready to go. Now I just need to focus my attention on my baby's mama!!! We should be able to get her bag set in the next day or so...then we'll just need to grab and go!!!
This weekend was a success for the finalizing of baby's stuff. I installed the car seat base in Elvis (our nickname for our Equinox), ensured it fits properly on our awesome stroller, and set up the pack and play in our sunroom. Of all the baby stuff I've set up, the pack and play was the biggest pain in the ass of them all!!! But now, we have a mini crib and changing table in the sunroom, so we should be good to go!!! I'm hoping to stop at the local police/fire department tomorrow to have them check the car seat to ensure I installed it properly. I must say, of all the baby stuff I've put together, the crib and carseat were the most nerve-racking...a lot of stress to make sure it's installed properly!!!
To wrap this one up...I hope my girls, Laura and Lexi, start feeling better soon. Laura has been fighting a horrible cold all week...she has pretty much been voiceless since Friday, and Lexi has some allergies or a doggy cold going on. I'm tryin to stay medicated with doses of beer...that's probably why my girls weren't able to stay healthy and I am!!! On another note, both of baby's great grandpas celebrated big birthdays over the weekend...my grandpa turned 90 on Saturday, and Laura's turned 83 today. I can only hope I'm doing as good as those guys are doing if I live to be that old!!!
Well, until the next post, where I can write more and be more detailed than just my thumbs and a 3inch screen will allow, I'll wrap this one up. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary and we appreciate the kind thoughts/prayers you send our way! Take care!
With baby's arrival due anytime this month, we have put our baby preparations into finalizing mode lately. As the title suggests, tonight was a night of systems checks...finding the cameras, their charging cables and adapters and then making sure they are now charging and ready to go. And...to make sure I've thought of everything and tested everything, I'm typing this blog on my phone to see if it will work incase I can't get online with the iPad at the hospital.
I had all good intentions of packing the "go bag" this weekend but that is somewhat coming together as we speak. My clothes are packed...my 1 pair of boxers are set...I can manage for a couple of days in the clothing I wear in there...I'm just kidding...I also packed my toothbrush!!! As far as I know, I'm ready to go. Now I just need to focus my attention on my baby's mama!!! We should be able to get her bag set in the next day or so...then we'll just need to grab and go!!!
This weekend was a success for the finalizing of baby's stuff. I installed the car seat base in Elvis (our nickname for our Equinox), ensured it fits properly on our awesome stroller, and set up the pack and play in our sunroom. Of all the baby stuff I've set up, the pack and play was the biggest pain in the ass of them all!!! But now, we have a mini crib and changing table in the sunroom, so we should be good to go!!! I'm hoping to stop at the local police/fire department tomorrow to have them check the car seat to ensure I installed it properly. I must say, of all the baby stuff I've put together, the crib and carseat were the most nerve-racking...a lot of stress to make sure it's installed properly!!!
To wrap this one up...I hope my girls, Laura and Lexi, start feeling better soon. Laura has been fighting a horrible cold all week...she has pretty much been voiceless since Friday, and Lexi has some allergies or a doggy cold going on. I'm tryin to stay medicated with doses of beer...that's probably why my girls weren't able to stay healthy and I am!!! On another note, both of baby's great grandpas celebrated big birthdays over the weekend...my grandpa turned 90 on Saturday, and Laura's turned 83 today. I can only hope I'm doing as good as those guys are doing if I live to be that old!!!
Well, until the next post, where I can write more and be more detailed than just my thumbs and a 3inch screen will allow, I'll wrap this one up. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary and we appreciate the kind thoughts/prayers you send our way! Take care!
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